Charging-bell for blast-furnaces.



J. KENNEDY.

CHARGING BELL FOR BLAST FURNACES.

APPLlcATloN FILED slEPT. 1,0., 1915.

1,178,522. 1 Patented Apr. 11,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTQR WITNESSES J. KENNEDY.

CHARGING BELL FOR BLAST FURNACES.

APPLICATION FLLED SEPT. LQ. i915. y

Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

n INVENTOR WITNESSES JULIAN KENNEDY, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

GHARGING-BELL Fon BLAST-FURNA'CES.

Specification of vLetters Patent Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

f Application led September 10, 1915. Serial No. 49,953.

To all 'whom 'it may concern.'

Beit known that I. JULIAN KENNEDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, Allegheny county, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Charging-Bells for Blast-Furnaces, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference beingV had to the accompanying drawings, forming 'part of this specification, in WhichlFigure 1 is a vertical section through one form of my improved bell, and the feed hopper for a blast furnace. Fig. 2 is a plan' view with the bell stem inr section. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l showing a modified form of bell. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the guides shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a vertical section through a por-tion of a blast furnace, and another form of guides connected to the bell. j

This invention relates to an improvement in charging bells for blast furnaces, and'is designed to provide a cheap and efficient device for guiding or controlling the charge,

. and to maintain the bell in. its proper position, so that each charge will be approximately equally distributed around the furnace.

It is well known to those familiar with the art that it is almost impossible to equally distribute the charges around the blast furnace by the apparatusvused today. This unequal charging may be from various causes, such as particles of wet material which would not -slide as, readily as dry material, and consequently a greater portion of the charge -will slide off in directions fother than the direction followed by the wet material, or as is frequently the case, a portion of the top of the bell may become corroded, and thereby offer considerable resistance to the material passing over this portion, so that the greatest portion of the charge would move along the line of least resistance. This unequal charging may also be caused by the movement of the bell in a lateral direction, so that the majority of the charge may slide t0 one 'side of the furnace, while the other portions thereof would receive very little of the charge.

By the use of an apparat-us such as disclosed in this specilication, I am enabled to retain the bell in a centra-l position with relation to the furnace, and at the same time guide the charge in radial directions,

'by the Wings can be shifted so. that each portion of the furnace will re.

ceive the proper proportion of the charge.

The precise nature of my invention will be best understood b v reference to the accompanying drawings, which will now be described, it being premised, however, that various changes may be made in the details of construction, and the general arrangement of the guides without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as defined in the .appended claims.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the reference character 2 designates a feed hopper, which may be of any approved type, and 3 the discharge bell having a supporting and operating stem 4. 5 are radial wings or guidesrwhich are formed integral with the structure, and are arranged to retain the bell centrally within the hopper 2, and also to provide guides for the charge, so that all the material will move in a .generally radial direction and will be restrained from moving at a tangent with relation to the center of the` hopper. The wings 5, shown in Fig. 1, do not extend to the upper face of the bell 3 at their outer edges, which will permit the material passing through one section to spread out and meet the material passing through adjacent sections, so that the charge will be fed in conical form Without any material break. i

-In Figs. 3 and 4, I have shown a structure somewhat similar to that shown in Figs. l

- and 2, but in which the wings or guides 5a .are cast'integral with the hub 6, which is mounted on the boss 7 of the bell 3a. In this construction, thel wings do not contact with the upper Surface of the bell, except at the y upper edges adjacent to the hub 6, so that the various portions of the charge passing down between the guides will commingle with each other between the bell and the lower portions of the guides.

In Fig. 5, I have shown the upper portion of a blastu furnace 8, in which the hopper 2 is shown supported'in position above the furnace. In this figure, I have shown another modified form of wings 5b, which are formed integrally with a hub 6b, surrounding the boss 7b of the bell 3b. In this construction, the hub 6b is shaped so as to rest on a portion of the face of the bell. In the construction shown in Figs. 3 to 5, the wings are so mounted that they can readily be rotated about the boss of the bell, Wherefrom time to time to prevent the charge from wearing the upper surface ofthe bell unequally, and cut grooves in the upper surface thereof between the 0*uide members. l

In Fig. 5 I have designated at 9 the approximate line of the material within a furnace when charged with an apparatus such as shown and described, while the dotted line lO shows the irregular level of the material in the furnace, such as frequently occurs under the present practice of charging.

The advantages of my invention result from the provision of means for directing a furnace charge in radial directions, and at the same time maintaining the bell in a central position, so that the charge will be equally distributed around the furnace.

I claim:

l. A charging apparatus for blast furnaces, comprisinga hopper' and a conical bell coacting with the hopper and seating upwardly against the same, said bell havingl a plurality of radial charge guiding wings extending within the hopper and spaced over its conical surface, substantially as described.

Z. A charging apparatus .for blast furnaces, comprising a hopper and a conical bell coacting with the hopper and seating upwardly against the same, said bell having a plurality of radial charge guiding wings extending within` the hopper and spaced Lira/sea over its conical surface, the outer edges of said wings being adjacent to the inner wall of the hopper to thereby also form centering means for the bell, substantially as described. f

3. A charging apparatus for blast fur naces, comprising a cylindrical hopper and a conical bell coacting therewith, the bell having a plurality of spaced radial charge guides arranged around the cone thereof., said guides having outer substantially vertical edges adjacent to the inner wall of the hopper, substantially as described.

A conical charging bell for blast furnaces, having a central boss, a rotatable hub mounted on the boss, and a plurality of radial flanges connected to the hub and eX- tendi'ng over the top face of the bell, substantially as described.

A conical charging bell lfor blast furnaces, having a central boss, a rotatable hub mounted on the boss, and a plurality of radial flanges connected to the hub and eX- tending over the top face of the bell, there being an open space between the edges of said fianges and the upper face of the bell, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

JULIAN KENNEDY. Witnesses: Y

H. Vif. RANo,

J. W. ,KENNEDK 

